Rinse and sort the dry beans. Cover beans with water and let soak for a couple hours up to overnight.Drain the beans.Cook your bacon in the bean pot. Remove bacon from drippings.Add the beans to the pot.Cover the beans with water and add a handful of the chopped onion.Bring to a boil.Partially cover pan and turn heat down so the beans are simmering gently.Cook beans, stirring occasionally, for about an hour to an hour and a half.Add more water, as needed, so the beans remain covered by about an inch of water.They are ready when you take a bean out with a spoon and blow on it. The skin will burst open.Take off the heat. Drain the beans, but save the liquid.Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.In a 2-1/2 quart bowl or baking dish mix the beans, bacon(or ham) and onion.Stir in 1 cup of the bean liquid, the molasses or maple syrup, brown sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper.Cover the dish and bake in the preheated oven for about 2-1/2 hours, or until it is as thick as you like.Stir occasionally.Add more bean liquid, if needed.

Serves 10-12 as a side dish.

If you are using ham, you can add some bacon grease to the pot of beans or use vegetable oil or just skip that part all together.

If you want to make beans and weinies, cut up hot dogs and add to the baked beans about a half hour before the beans are done. Any sooner and the hotdogs seem to lose most of their flavor.